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Pennsylvanian Republican Sen. Arlen Specter amassed opposition in his own party when he said that pro-life judicial nominees would have a tough time making it through committee. The moderate Republican talks about his recent comments and how they might affect his future in the Senate. Hear Specter and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Alejandro Aviles is a 21-year-old alternate delegate from Arkansas -- the youngest Hispanic member of the state's delegation to the Democratic National Convention. He was drawn to Boston by the idea of being with a large group of politically active Latinos. Now Aviles is spending a lot of time networking with the party's Latino caucus. Youth Radio's Luis Sierra reports.

Senate Republicans threaten to do away with judicial filibusters. They say endless debate over President Bush's judicial nominees is causing governmental gridlock. Democrats and liberal organizations say taking away filibusters is putting a muzzle on open-ended debate -- and is a move that favors the majority party in Congress. Both sides say they're willing to take the filibuster fight to the mat.

This year, two so-called "outsider" candidates have proved to appeal to voters -- Arnold Schwarzenegger and Howard Dean. As part of the Public Radio Collaboration Whose Democracy Is It?, NPR's Mara Liasson reports on the fascination the public has for those candidates who run for office as "outsiders" -- either apart from the two-party system, or as one who opposes the Washington "insiders."

House Democrats release an analysis suggesting that at best, the cost of military operations in Iraq will add $179 billion to the federal deficit over the next decade. Meanwhile, Republicans vow to approve President Bush's $87 billion funding request for Iraq. Both parties call on the White House to be more upfront about expected Iraq-related costs. Hear NPR's Andrea Seabrook.

The U.S. military launches Operation Desert Scorpion, sending soldiers to regions northwest of Baghdad to confiscate illegal weapons and to detain suspected Baath Party loyalists. In Fallujah, where coordinated attacks on American troops have increased in recent weeks, U.S. forces conducting house-to-house searches arrest at least eight suspected militants. Hear NPR's Nick Spicer.

Susan Orlean is a staff writer at The New Yorker. In 1994 she wrote a profile of David Friedman, one of the Friedman sons. David was known as Silly Billy, a popular clown who was a favorite at children's birthday parties in New York City. David's father and brother were accused of molesting children, and the family's story is told through their own home movies in the documentary film Capturing the Friedmans. Orlean is also the author of the best-selling book, The Orchid Thief.

Some Kurds in northern Iraq charge they were victims of abuse and corruption by the two main Kurdish political parties that have controlled the region with U.S. and British support since 1992. American staffers in the region privately express alarm about the behavior of their war-time allies. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Iraqis greet the country's newly formed governing council with cautious optimism. The 25-member group holds its first full day of meetings, but fails to elect a leader. In one of its first moves, the council bans several national holidays associated with Saddam Hussein and his Baath party. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt and Miami University political science professor Adeed Dawisha.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. Tommy Franks tell a Senate committee that attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq are increasing. But they insist that the United States will stay in Iraq as long as it takes to stabilize the country. Senators from both parties urge the Pentagon to be honest about the costs and dangers that commitment could entail. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.